


Fly with my Heart, Soar with my Mind

by karmacarmilla



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Hollstein - Freeform, airplane au, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 09:05:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5961778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karmacarmilla/pseuds/karmacarmilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You fell asleep and I started making funny faces at your kid to keep them amused and the steward mistook us for a couple AU" taken to the next level.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fly with my Heart, Soar with my Mind

**Author's Note:**

> So I know that I have been neglecting my fics but I promise that it is for the best right now. I want them to be as good as they possibly can be so I am taking my time on them as I have a tendency to post in bulk anyway. I have made a number of changes to the Teacher AU and I am figuring out how I want to arrange Reignite so please bare with me (-:
> 
> Also happy day to the Carmilla fandom as Steph just announced there is a new video in the Xmas Bundles! Hopefully we get more news soon (-:

Carmilla had been working toward this trip for as long as she could remember. The moment she was eligible to apply for her career she completed the application and was hired almost immediately. Now she was on her third year at the office and was finally high enough on the ladder to take the annual trip to Austria. There was the occasional meeting, obviously, but a majority of the trip was for leisure and she could not wait to visit the house that held all of her childhood secrets. After her father grew ill her stepmother (though she was never allowed to refer to her as anything other than mother) had snuck her and her brother across the ocean to Canada where she stay against her will. They remained with that god awful woman until Carmilla was of age to move on, unfortunately leaving her brother behind. Now that she had the funds she was determined to make up for all of her mistakes, sacrifices, and lost time.

But first she had to get there.

Her flight had been delayed for about an hour now and she was growing incredibly impatient as one could only stare at a runway for so long. She was thankful for the window seat but after a while it was hard to find any more positives to keep her from losing her temper. This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime for her. She had waited years for this moment but this hour delay was more agonizing than she could take. The only thing keeping her occupied was the beautiful woman that sat next to her though she could not pass the time flirting as the woman was more occupied with the child that sat closest to the aisle.

“When are we going to go?”

“Soon, sweetheart. Why don’t you do your puzzle?”

“I already did it two times.”

The woman sighed and handed the child her headphones, “Listen to some music for a while. We should take off soon.”

Carmilla watched the interaction with a smirk. This is why she could never have children - she would not give her headphones up for anyone, especially in a time like this. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking to take her headphones out of her suitcase before boarding the plane as she could really use some music as a distraction right about now.

The woman shifted in her seat as she tried to get comfortable before leaning her head back against the headrest. She groaned, not being able to get comfortable, and sat up defeated.

“Having trouble there?” Carmilla smirked, earning an eyeroll from the woman.

“You have no idea. This plane should have taken off ages ago and I didn’t even think to bring my pillow.”

Carmilla paused for a moment before standing up and headed to where the carry-on luggage was stored. She could not believe herself as she reached for her neck pillow and handed it to the woman before sitting back down in her seat.

The woman’s eyebrows raised, “You really don’t have to do this. I was just complaining for the sake of complaining.”

“I wasn’t going to use it anyway,” She gave a small smile and opened the book she had also grabbed while she was up. It was one of her favorites and she had read it a number of times. However, this time she was having a hard time focusing. She was more focused on the fact that she had offered this woman her pillow out of the kindness of her heart which was not a common thing - it was actually not a thing at all. Carmilla never did anything out of the kindness of her heart just for the simple fact that doing things out of the kindness of your heart always ended up in heartbreak, a lesson she learned years ago and refused to repeat.

“Thank you,” The woman placed her hand on Carmilla’s arm for a moment, “My name is Laura by the way and that is my son, Adrian.”

“Carmilla,” She greeted with a head nod before forcing herself to look back to her book. She was not sure what was going on with her but she was not going to let it happen again, that was for sure.

“That is a beautiful name. It sounds...Austrian actually. Are you Austrian?”

“We are on a plan to Austria, are we not?” Carmilla replied smugly. She regret her tone as soon as she spoke. It sounded all too harsh to be directed at the woman she had just given her pillow to.

“That we are but I am not Austrian. I am taking this trip because I went to college at Silas. Do you know where that is?”

“Do I ever,” She mumbled. It was the University mother had been the Dean of before she made them escape to Canada. That University was a mess within itself and she could not imagine why anyone would chose to go back after graduating.

“Bad experience, huh?” Laura questioned, turning more to face Carmilla.

The brunette sighed, putting her book down. There was no way she could finish reading with this woman constantly making conversation. “You could definitely say that. Why are you going back if you have already graduated?”

“A lot of the friends I made in school stayed close by so we are going to visit them for a bit. This will be the first time I have seen many of them since graduation so I am pretty excited.”

Carmilla nodded, not sure what to say, and listened as Laura went on about her college experiences. She was not sure whether to be more concerned about the fact that she was actually listening or the fact that she was not even remotely annoyed at the woman’s rambling. This was definitely out of character for her and she was more relieved that she should have been when Adrian took his headphones off and wanted Laura’s attention. She needed the time to regroup.

“I don’t like any of these songs.”

Laura turned to the whining child, “Take a nap then. Complaining is not going to make this plane start any faster, trust me I tried.”

He pouted for a moment before handing her the headphones and starting his puzzle for the third time. Carmilla could not help but feel a bit sorry for the child as she was also incredibly impatient and irritated, she just had better control of her frustration.

Laura groaned as she turned back to Carmilla, “I apologize for the further that may ensue, whether it come from him or me. We are not very patient people.”

“That makes three of us,” Carmilla smirked.

_Ladies and Gentlemen this is your Captain speaking, we would like to thank you for your patience and cooperation during this delay but flight 307 is officially ready for take off. The skies are clear and this should be a relatively smooth ride. Once again, thank you for choosing to fly with us and we hope you enjoy your flight._

As the message came through the intercom many people began cheering in relief of their flight finally being ready to take off. Only about nine hours until Carmilla set foot on the grounds she had desired to feel for as long as she could remember. Only about nine hours until she never saw Laura again.

-

Carmilla had been reading her book for the past two hours and she was nearly finished. It was not hard for her to read so quickly as she could practically recite the book. It was probably time for her to give it a rest but there was not much else to do. Laura was asleep and she had not brought anything else to do during the trip. It was not until a third puzzle piece hit her that she actually looked away from the pages.

“Can I help you?” She growled. Carmilla had never been a fan of children but this one was just plain rude. The first piece she assumed was an accident, the second she assumed was a miss from Laura but by the third she was not having it.

“I asked what book you are reading.”

“The Outsider. Now stop talking to me, I’m a stranger.”

“No you’re not,” He challenged, “You’re my mom’s friend.”

“ _No_ , I’m a stranger. I could be a kidnapper for all you know.” She rolled her eyes as he looked horrified, “Relax. I’m not I was just making a point.”

He laughed a little bit, “You gave my mom a pillow so you’re not a stranger. My name is Adrian.”

“I know. My name is Carmilla now hush, I’m trying to read.”

“You didn’t look like you were reading.”

“Well I was,” She hissed trying to focus back on her book. It was no use as she could feel the child staring at her. She groaned, placing the book down on the ledge, “What do you want now?”

“I am so bored and hungry.”

“Ask your mom for some food.”

“She told me not to wake her up.”

“So you decided to bother me?” She looked at him for a moment as he smiled innocently at her before rolling her eyes. “Alright kid, I’ll get you something to eat. What do you want?”

“I want a beer.”

“Nice try, let’s get you something that won’t get me arrested on an airplane.”

“Fine,” He pouted, “I want an apple juice and a cheese sandwich.”

Carmilla pressed the button and the stewardess came to their row with one of the fakest smiles the brunette had possibly ever seen - and she had seen a lot of fake smiles in her day. “Can we order food now?”

“Yes, what would you like?”

She gave their orders to the woman, smirking at Adrian as he stuck his tongue out at her. She made a face back before they both laughed, “You’re not so bad, kid.”

“Even though I threw puzzle pieces at you?”

“Even though you threw puzzle pieces at me,” She smiled at him for a moment before instantly pressing her lips into a line. What had gotten into her?

The stewardess returned with their meals in a time that Carmilla thought was suspiciously quick. As she placed them down on their trays she lingered for a moment, “Would you like to order anything for your partner for when she wakes?”

Carmilla’s eyes widened and she began to trip over her words, “I-..No I-She...That’s not-”

“She wants a water and a cheese sandwich,” Adrian up as the stewardess eyed Carmilla who could only muster a nod.

She wrote the order down and walked away as the brunette took the second to catch her breath. That was definitely unexpected and probably one of the most uncomfortable moments she had in a long time.

“Smooth.”

Carmilla looked to Laura who had a smirk on her face, eyes still closed. “Were you awake for that?” Laura didn’t say anything but kept the smirk as Carmilla groaned, “How much did you hear?”

“Enough.”

“You are far too good at pretending to be asleep.”

“It’s a motherly skill,” Laura smiled as she finally opened her eyes to look at Carmilla who was bright red. “So you do like kids, huh?”

“No one said anything about liking-”

Laura looked at her smugly, “Looks like someone is not as much of a badass as they like to think they are.”

“Don't remind me,” She mumbled taking a sip of her drink. “Besides, just because I think your kid is cool does not mean I like _all_ kids.”

“Yes but you have to admit they are not as bad as you pretend to think they are.”

“Did you not hear that screaming baby earlier or was I imagining that?” Carmilla smirked as Laura rolled her eyes, knowing she was right.

“Alright I do have to admit that was a little less than desirable but it happens. We were all babies once, you know.”

“Yes but I would hope that my mother would shut my ass up if I was on a plane,” Carmilla laughed slightly to herself at how ridiculous her statement was. Her mother’s actions would not even be a question and she found it comical that she even acted as if there was a chance that they would be.

Laura shrugged with a smile as the flight attendant came back with her meal, giving a small ‘No thank you’ when asked if she needed anything. Carmilla could not help but watch her as she made the small interaction and turned to give Adrian a small kiss on the forehead before focusing on her small meal.

“How much does this cost anyway?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Carmilla mumbled before digging into her own food, “Just enjoy it.”

“Seriously, I have always heard airline food is expensive. Should I take it back do you think?”

“Just eat it, Laura. I was the one who suggested it so it’s on me.”

“I couldn’t ask you to-”

“You’re not asking me, I’m doing this because I want to now eat before I change my mind.”

Carmilla could not help the way her heart pounded slightly harder than normal as a smile came to Laura’s face and she began to eat gratefully. There was something about the way her smile shone over her entire face. It wasn’t just her mouth but it was her eyes, how they seemed to widen. The way her skin shone with the slight blush that came to her cheeks and her entire body seemed to radiate positivity. On anyone else it probably would have made Carmilla sick but not Laura. No. Laura was different.

Laura was different and she would never see her again after a couple of hours.

“Thank you.”

Carmilla was interrupted from her thoughts as she looked to Laura who was clearly trying ot avoid eye contact, “For what, cutie?”

“I don’t know,” She blushed slightly, “I guess for humoring me on this flight. I know I can be kind of annoying and it does not help that I brought an impatient child on this long flight but I appreciate you being so kind and receptive. It’s not everyday that you meet a genuinely good person and I am so glad to have the pleasure of sitting next to you and you probably don’t even see it that way but it just means a lot to me and wow I am rambling feel free to cut me off at any point.”

The brunette could not help but laugh though she did not realize how much of an effect she was having  on Laura. If only the other woman realized the effect that she was having as well, “I am glad to be sitting next to you too, cupcake. After all, I could have been stuck next to the people with the screaming baby.”

Laura opened her mouth for a moment but no words came out. Carmilla knew she was going to question the ‘cupcake’ thing. In fact, she was questioning it herself. Why was she was blatantly flirting when this was never going to go anywhere in the first place.Also, it was not like she was interested in women anyway - though she had not acted as if anything was out of the ordinary when the stewardess assumed that they were together. But she had a kid for godsakes and for all Carmilla knew she could have someone waiting for her back home with a scraggly beard and chest hair. He probably looked just like every part of Adrian that did not look like Laura. She wondered if he realized how lucky he was to have someone like her.

_No, you can’t think like this._

There was no way she could flirt her way into something like that and she was stupid for even having the mind to think she could.

“So what do you have on that iPod of yours that Adrian seems to hate so much?” Carmilla was actually proud of herself for turning the subject around so quickly. It seemed like when it came to Laura she always found herself tripping over her words so it was rather surprising that she did not have trouble this time.

“Want to listen?” Laura offered, handing her an earbud.

Carmilla shrugged and took the earbud being offered and waited for Laura to land on a song. The first song that played was some generic pop music that she shook her head at as Laura quickly changed it to the next one. This one was just as bad but it gave her something to do so she listened, not necessarily paying attention to the music on her ear but the humming from Laura’s mouth. As the song finished and the next one came in Carmilla was genuinely surprised. She actually knew the song and even knew some of the words. She shook her head at Laura as the woman watched her to see if she should change the song or not.

They relaxed back into their seats as the music filled one of their ears and it was the most relaxed Carmilla had felt in a long while. She felt like a teenager all over again - and not the stressed and angry teenager that she had been but the teenager that she was supposed to be.

_Haven’t had a dream in a long time. See, the life I’ve had can make a good man bad._

The lyrics spoke volumes and maybe that was why it resonated as so with Carmilla. But Laura seemed to have the same reaction. Did she relate as well? Certainly someone so bubbly could not resonate with something so dark.

_So for once in my life, let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first time._

For godsakes she should have just let Laura skip this song. But she didn’t. She let Laura keep it playing and now she had about one million thoughts racing through her head. Perhaps she was reading too much into it. After all, it was just a song.

But songs say a lot more than many can say for themselves. Was this what Laura felt? Were they strangers enough that it was appropriate to ask?

She decided against asking and instead tried to sleep instead - though she was not very successful as Laura still had her neck pillow and sleeping sitting straight up was nearly impossible.

And was that-?..So yes that was definitely Laura’s head on her shoulder. There was no way she could sleep now. She was far too focused on staying still so that Laura could rest comfortably.

_The things I do for this woman._

Carmilla peeked over to see Adrian asleep as well, curled up in his seat. It was almost scary how much he looked like Laura while they slept. She found it funny how only in a couple hours she was already feeling something, she was not sure what but it was definitely something, which was extremely unhealthy for her brooding heart. But then again, when did she ever do something positive for herself?

For now she would enjoy it and deal with the consequences later. After all, she had had plenty of hookups before - sure this was not a hookup but the same rules applied, right? Flirt, fuck, forget-..well maybe not the second one but she could certainly flirt and forget. It would be just as easy as all of the other times.

-

As the plane descended, Carmilla realized that it was going to be a lot harder to forget Laura than she had planned. The blonde had woken up somewhere around the six hour mark and they had talked the rest of the way. It was relieving to feel so at ease with someone, hell she even bonded with a kid. But now it was all over. Everyone was quick to stand as the plane landed, wanting to get off as soon as possible. Laura let a number of people pass before she found a gap and stood out in the aisle to collect her and Adrian’s things from the overhead compartment.

Throwing the bag over her shoulder she gave Carmilla a small smile, “Thanks for the company. I really enjoyed sitting next to you.”

Carmilla wanted to run. That was how she handled all of her problems. If she ran then she would not have to do this. _God_ she hated goodbyes. But it was inevitable. This flight was supposed to be a simple flirt and forget and she was really struggling with the ‘forget’ part of the deal.. She tried to think of something to say. Anything to express how much she enjoyed Laura and Adrian’s company throughout the flight. But alas, all that came to her mind was, “Take care of yourself, cupcake.”

She reached for her own luggage and by the time she looked back, Laura and Adrian were already far ahead and exiting the plane. She tucked her book under her arm and continued making her own way off of the plane.

The second her feet touched the ground she felt lighter. Carmilla was officially in Austria for the first time in what felt like forever and it was just as beautiful as she imagined. This was everything that she hoped for a more and honestly she was unsure of where to even start. She was never one to make lists or plans and now she was really regretting it. All she wanted to do was run. It did not matter where, she just wanted to run. Run towards everything in life that made her breathing steady. Run towards everything that she had missed out on. But she could not. Instead she went to collect her luggage and began walking down the street. She was not sure if she was supposed to call a taxi - could you do that in Austria? She had become so accustomed to her western behaviors that she had not realized how hard it was going to be to walk blindly into a new routine in a totally different culture. Maybe she could just ask? After all her German was not rusty in the slightests, in fact some things she was more comfortable expressing in German rather than English. She could do this it would just take some time.

By the time she was actually able to decide where she wanted to go and hail a cab she was able to get about twenty pages further in her book. She had come across one of her favorite quotes because no matter the situation it always rang true.

_I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all._

That could not be any more true than it had ever been as of right now. Here she was in Austria and no matter the struggles it took to get here, she had made it and she had never been more satisfied with the way things were turning out. The only thing that could make it any better would be if she could have gotten to know Laura just a little bit more. She supposed it was for the best though. Laura was uninterested anyway, she had a child for godsakes. It was best that things turned out the way they did.

Carmilla was taken from her slight self loathing as she noticed a small piece of paper sticking out from between two pages in the middle of her book. Had she made a bookmark?

As she unfolded the piece of paper she realized it was a small handwritten note.

_Carmilla,_

_I know I said it before but I will say it again - I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to sit next to you during this flight. I am secretly terrified of flying but you have kept my mind off of it the whole time. Thank you so much for being so kind and sweet to not only me but to Adrian as well. You are sleeping right now and I still have your neck pillow as I kind of drooled on it a little bit (oops) so I want to wash it when I arrive at Silas. Maybe I can return it when we meet over coffee or something? (-:  I hope to see you again soon._

- _Laura Hollis xo_

 

Carmilla read over the note a couple of times in awe before turning it over and seeing Laura’s phone number written out with a small heart next to it. So maybe this was not all one sided. Perhaps Laura was not so great at flirting and forgetting either.

Without a second thought, Carmilla pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to the number that was nearly ingrained in her memory.

“Hey there, cupcake. You can keep the pillow but about that coffee…”

**Author's Note:**

> Chat with me: KarmaCarmilla.tumblr.com


End file.
